9454757 Williamson WhaleNet is an interdisciplinary, hands-on, collaborative monitoring project to foster science education and interest in schools across the nation utilizing telecommunications. WhaleNet will ultimately incorporate continued contact among educators, students, scientists, and research programs to enhance K-12 science education. Through interaction with cooperating scientists and research institutions, students will be able to participate in research projects on and utilize data from the marine ecosystem, including marine mammal identification and migration patterns. WhaleNet Program Goals to utilize telecommunications and other advanced technologies to allow cooperation and communication among students, teachers, scientists, and marine research institutions; to involve students in real-time interdisciplinary scientific research and education, by using data collected on classroom whale watches, data from existing research programs and data from new research projects by participating organizations using high technology devices; to establish collaboration (through a nation-wide network) among business, education and research institutions, with the goal of enhancing student involvement and interest in the marine environment; to establish a nation-wide network of schools, students, educators and scientists who are interested in integrating WhaleNet into the K-12 curriculum as an interdisciplinary theme; to connect students to research data, students to scientists/naturalists, students to students via telecommunications to stimulate interest in interdisciplinary learning; to make related curriculum materials available to educators electronically. Interdisciplinary K-12 curriculum units and interactive CD-ROM materials will be available to participating educators and students so that they can be used with the WhaleNet program. Throughout the academic year students and educators will have access to volunteer WhaleNet scientists via the Internet for their inquiries. Students and educators will also have access to past and current data so that they can experience a more comprehensive academic program on a year-round basis. WhaleNet will enable students to use research data in real-time to generate involvement and interest in scientific investigations while fostering an interdisciplinary approach to learning, research, critical thinking, and problem solving.
